How to Represent and Manipulate 128-bit Numbers in C ?

Representing 128-bit Numbers in C : Strategies and Considerations

When faced with the task of representing 128-bit numbers in C , developers have several options. One approach is to create a custom class that holds two 64-bit integers or four 32-bit integers. While this method offers flexibility, it also requires significant manual implementation and error-prone calculations.

Another option is to allocate a 128-bit block of memory and perform operations directly on it. However, managing such memory manually can be cumbersome and error-prone.

Utilize Boost Multiprecision Library

For a more standardized and reliable approach, modern C offers the boost::multiprecision library. Within this library lies the uint128_t type, which provides a native 128-bit unsigned integer data type. This type supports all the arithmetic operators and behaves similarly to the built-in numeric types like int and long long.

Features of Boost's uint128_t

• Seamless integration with Boost's operators
• Initialization with strings using the boost::multiprecision::string_cast function
• Convenient macro for expressing constants, e.g., U128_C(12345678901234567890)
• Extensibility to larger bit widths, such as 256-bit and 512-bit

By leveraging the boost::multiprecision::uint128_t type, developers can simplify the representation and manipulation of 128-bit numbers, ensuring accuracy and reducing implementation complexity.

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